Most Twitter users are unhappy with the level of engagement they receive. Likes, retweets, comments, and follower counts are all far lower than hoped for. Can you relate? If so, you’re not alone. Tweets are our way of virtually wearing our hearts on our sleeves. It hurts when we put ourselves out there- our thoughts, feelings, cares, and frustrations- only to receive silence in return. Twitter is used in one of two ways: to express or to engage. While either is OK, you might be using Twitter WRONG to achieve the results you are looking for. Here are a few easy ways to increase your Twitter engagement. Don’t settle for any more discouragement!

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According to Brand Watch, the average Twitter user in 2020 has 707 followers. Maybe you feel pretty average. Or maybe you’re above or below average.

Good news is, it doesn’t matter. Your mindset is what matters!

Is Your Twitter Engagement focused on expressing yourself or engaging with the community at large?

Not sure what you’ve been doing all this time?

Here’s what a typical expression-based Tweet looks like.

“I’m so ready for the week to be over!” #partytime

See anything wrong with that? Not inherantly, of course.

It’s an expression. Nothing wrong with that, technically.

But do you think it’s the right way to increase engagement?

Do you think it would impact your followers?

The human attention span, according to Digital Information World, has fallen from 12 seconds to 8 seconds in 2020.

Think about that…8 seconds. It feels kind of lengthy if you stare at a wall and count 1…2…3…4…etc. But we’re not talking about staring at a wall.

We’re talking about Twitter, a hurricane of information that blows 6,000 Tweets per second!

That’s 500 Million Tweets per day!

Add to that advertisement and promotional Tweets that get prioritized in a user’s feed and it’s easy to see why many Tweets crawl silently to their death.

A very small percentage of people spend the time considering any Tweet. But even fewer consider expression-based Tweets.

There’s simply no request for a response.

Hundreds of thousands of people view tweets that don’t receive any engagement.

The reason why most people are using Twitter WRONG is the Tweets aren’t tailored for engagement.

Here’s what a strong engagement Tweet looks like:

“Ladies, help! I’m a new dad. What was something your dad did really well or something he didn’t do well? Please Like and RT for more feedback. #dadlife #parenting #protips #momlife

Of the two Tweets…which do you think will get more love? It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?

The second Tweet is almost identical to a Tweet I shared months ago that received more than 600 comments, thousands of likes and re-tweets, and hundreds of thousands of impressions.

It’s really not magical or impossible.

It’s simple.

All of us need help in getting our attention. Whether you have 707 followers or 7,000 followers, if your Tweet doesn’t get attention by breaking through the Twitter hurricane you will not get any engagement.

This isn’t about being insincere or fake.

It’s about understanding what you want to express, who you want to express it to, and if you want to receive engagement.

We can’t throw a random idea out into the ether and expect a niche target audience to provide some specific type of engagement.

Engagement-based tips for your next Tweet:

1. Identify your target audience. “Hey, #writers, I need your help!”
2. Be vulnerable. “I’m struggling to finish my story but am so close to the end. How do you keep pushing yourself when the end is near? #writerslife #writingcommunity”
3. Grab their attention by using words in all caps, appropriate hashtags, or a graphic. It’s been reported that simply adding an image or GIF increases engagement significantly. So, why don’t we do it? Why are so many Tweets text-only? What stands out to you more when scrolling your Twitter feed, a text-only sentence or a Tweet with a funny GIF? Getting a reader to stop for those few seconds will work wonders for your engagement.
4. Be personal but don’t take it personal. It’s so easy to feel discouraged when engagement is low or non-existent. But rather than take that lack of engagement to mean your thoughts are no good and there’s no point to keep trying, remember those Tweets should be used as lessons learned. It’s possible that your followers aren’t interested in motivational quotes. Maybe they’re really interested in vulnerability instead. You won’t know until you try it. When I Tweet a thought, even if it’s tailored to attract attention and receive engagement, I find some Tweets simply don’t stick. My audience of 16,000+ valuable souls are unique. They care about specific topics and they’re active at certain times of the day and week. If my Tweet under-performs on a Wednesday afternoon, I might try a variation of it on a Monday morning. If it under-performs every time, that tells my my audience isn’t interested in that type of material. And that’s OK. I can choose to continue expressing that thought topic if I want to simply throw it out into the void, or I can adapt from its performance and choose to focus on topics that my audience cares more about. On this point, it’s imperative to remember people change. One day your audience might want to digest and respond to political topics. The next day it might be all about preparing for the upcoming holiday. And the next they’ve moved onto some recent celebrity news.

What we write about always boils down to our intent. Are we looking to express or engage. Do we want to throw our ideas out into the void regardless of results (which is OK!!!), or do we want to share ideas that impact our audience in such a way as causing them to respond.

Whichever path you choose, the results can be expected.

Expression-based Tweets don’t result in engagement or growth UNLESS your target audience is looking for that type of material.

I will tell you a little secret though.

Most Twitter users are not seeking expression-based Tweets.

Most people want to engage in topics and ideas they care about, messages that identify them as the target audience, Tweets that have a call to action asking for feedback, and messages that come across and attract eye balls.

A common complaint at this point is Twitter follower count.

Your follower count does NOT directly correlate with your levels of engagement.

Follower count blurs the lines between effective and ineffective Tweets.

At over 16,000 Twitter followers during the writing of this article, my audience was broader than someone with a few hundred. My ineffective Tweet might hit the heart of 10 people – 10 more people than someone who’s 300 followers weren’t even online when the Tweet was posted.

Large follower counts also skew engagement of effective Tweets, which we all want it to do.

Remember though, a poorly timed and/or crafted Tweet can only fly so far.

If it doesn’t gain momentum by the first pass of followers who see the Tweet, it’s not going to spread fast enough to reach second, third, and fourth tier Twitter users.

On the other hand, a well timed or crafted Tweet can fly around the world.

If more people who see the Tweet are impacted by it, the more people will spur it onward and upward.

Engagement rises and you, the Tweeter, will feel a strange sense of encouragement and joy seeing all the feedback your baby of an idea gets.

Increase Your Twitter Engagement with a Simple Self-Audit

You’ve made it this far.

Now it’s time to take action.

Take a look at your last 10 Tweets and categorize each of them as expression-based or engagement-based.

If the majority are expressing an idea or thought without identifying your audience, asking a question, providing a hashtag, or using an image, I want you to commit your next 10 Tweets for engagement.

1. Talk TO your target audience.
2. Use an image or GIF to break through the void and grab someone’s attention.
3. Include a hashtag that is appropriate for your message.
4. Ask a question or ask for feedback of some sort.

If the majority of your last 10 Tweets are engagement-based, well done!

You are definitely on your way to achieving your engagement and follower goals. But don’t get lazy! Don’t stop now!

See what you could have done better for those last 10 Tweets.

1. Was the timing right when most of your audience is active?
2. Did you include any of the above material like images, hashtags, or vulnerable requests for feedback?
3. Did you respond to any comments you received with a like or reply?

I hope this information helps you. Actually, I know it will because it’s what I did to grow my reach to over 27,000 Twitter followers.

It’s important to always be sincere and focus on quality Tweets with quality engagement.

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